Mixed Media Blog

July 17, 2015

In
the lead-up to Rum Bahamas Festival in February 2016, Guanima Press, Events by
Alexandra and the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas are joining forces to
bring tid-bits and tastes of things to come with the seven-part “Though the
Kitchen Door” series.

The ‘talk and taste’ events will feature talks by
noted writer and anthropologist Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, whose studies and extensive
knowledge of Bahamian culture will be complemented by samples of local cuisine
prepared by acclaimed caterer, events manager and RumBahamas Founder Alexandra
Maillis.

Hoping to offer guests deeper insight into the
country’s history and social developments, Glinton-Meicholas lamented the fact
that much of the information presented on The Bahamas is “simplistic”. Having
travelled the country as a girl, spending time with her grandparents on various
Family Islands, where her maternal grandfather was posted as a headmaster, she
is today able to recall “a living Bahamian community
that was not heavily influenced by the American presence, the growing tourism”.

“I
thought food would be an excellent medium through which to talk about Bahamian
history, social history, the people who came here and what they contributed to
us,” she added.

Glinton-Meicholas
is known for her comical and honest portrayals of Bahamian life and society
with her “Talkin’ Bahamian” and “True-True Bahamian” books. Her written works
offer a glimpse into the relationship between Bahamian society and food through
their examination of ‘the peanut man’ – a Bahamian ‘fast food’ source; the
familiar roadside food trucks serving up affordable breakfasts like tuna and
grits; and ‘toting’.

Known
for her tantalizing flavor fusions, Maillis argues that Bahamian cuisine is not
a pure style of cooking, but a blend of 11 cuisines stemming from the African
and European continents, U.K., East
Asia, South Asia, Greece, the Creole world (which includes centers of French
influence, like Haiti and Louisiana), the southern U.S., the Florida Keys, Latin
Caribbean and Jamaica. It is her hope that, with Through the Kitchen Door and
Glinton-Meicholas’ discussion of our creolized heritage and history, “people
get a deeper understanding of who we are, and develop a little bit more
broadmindedness”.

“I think it’s exciting,” she added. “The idea is to
show that whole relationship and to make us open our minds a little bit about
other cultures.”

The
first event of the series will take place this month and will focus on the ways
the Lucayans and British and African ancestry have contributed to modern
Bahamian society and cuisine. An example Glinton-Meicholas cites is the
Bahamian fondness for baked treats as a penchant stemming from the country’s
former British leadership. This, she believes, can be contrasted with a local
familiarity with root vegetables and groundnuts, such as cassava and peanuts,
respectively, which have both been heavily used in Lucayan and West African
cuisine.

“One
of the things that I have an issue with is every time you try to talk about
culture in this country, the first thing that comes up is Junkanoo, and
Bahamian culture is more than that, and this is a way for us to show that than
if we were to just write it in a book,” explained Neko Meicholas. “It makes it
more palatable to feed it to you, to demonstrate it to you, to show you your
history and culture and marry it to food… I think people will remember it
better and get a fuller experience of it when it is presented as we are hoping
it is.”

The
first Through the Kitchen Door event will be held on July 30 at the National
Art Gallery of The Bahamas. The talk and tastings begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for
the event are $15 and can be purchased in advance at The National Art Gallery
of The Bahamas.